


An Unexpected Lesson

by buttless



Category: Loveless
Genre: Abuse, F/M, Gen, Punishment, School, Teachers, hints of romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2015-11-21
Packaged: 2018-05-02 17:39:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5257637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buttless/pseuds/buttless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ritsu comes to visit the school the Zeros and Ritsuka attend in order to check up on things. He runs into their teacher, Shinonome-sensei and they have some disagreements on their teaching styles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unexpected Lesson

“Teacher?” Ritsu sent the woman back with a light tap to her chest. “You call yourself a teacher?” His eyes displayed repulsion. He was’t yelling, his unwavering voice betrayed disbelief. 

“I-I…” Hitomi stuttered, she was flustered beyond a normal school-day situation. This heat in her cheeks reminded her more of her unpleasant encounters with Agatsuma-san. But she was not completely weak, she really was a strong willed woman. She didn’t want to be pushed around by this strange man. “I-I am a tea-teacher!” She turned her face away from Ritsu’s penetrating eyes, terrified.

“Heh.” Ritsu’s laugh was cruel and short. “I was a little curious as to how you were dealing with our little problem students.” Nagisa had forced Ritsu to go down and check up on the school that the Zeros were now attending and frankly Ritsu only went because of his nagging curiosity about Soubi’s new Sacrifice in class with them. He knew nothing about the Aoyagi kid, he read all the reports, had the reseach done but he didn’t know the truth. Seimei had looked great on paper. Ritsu needed his own truth. But he guessed this one was going to be just like his brother.

“But it seems,” He tapped Hitomi’s chest for emphasis. “That you aren’t even the teacher around here. Why, these kid practically run wild. Why don’t you punish them?” He had stood outside of the school gates before classes let out and had a chance to observe things a bit. An ironic parallel that he wasn’t aware of. 

“Why would I punish my students?! Ah! That is a terrible thought.” She regained her composure a bit and squirmed away from Ritsu. They were alone and she had no way to call for help. This strange man had just suddenly approached her. Hitomi was shivering and tears were quickly pooling in her eyes.

“How do you expect them to learn if you don’t properly teach them?” His voice and face were devoid of emotion but Ritsu’s words most certaintly were not.

“I-I –! Punishment is no way to teach children! Wh-What a cruel man you are! How-How could any one..-” Hitomi was scared and confused but she wasnt about to let this man tell her that her dear students should be punished, it was completely inhuman. Her job as a teacher was to take care of those kids and make sure they were in a nourishing environment. Of course reprimand had its place but she she would enforce that on her own terms. 

“They order you about, it’s pathetic, really. Don’t you think that as their teacher you should be letting them know who’s in charge?” He glared deep into her eyes. This woman was weak, so easily breakable but she had a slight charm to her. She was still putting up a fight, trying to battle with her weak ideals in her closed, naive world.

“I-I am-” Wet beads of tears spilled out of Hitomi’s eyes but she didn’t step down. “I am in charge..!” Her words were firm, her voice shaky.

“Now,” Ritsu grinned at her. “Do you actually believe that?” He was picking her apart bit by bit and enjoying all of it. 

“I do! As their teacher what else can I believe? Besides-” She looked at him, pouty and critical, “What would you know?” 

Those were the wrong words to try and bring Ritsu down with. Childish and impudent. “What would I know?” He repeated her question as if he was curious to know the answer himself. “Well, I am a teacher.”

“I-I bet you-you’re a lousy teacher! No one would want to learn from a man like you. They probably all hate you!” Hitomi was fighting back to keep up her pride. She was defensive of her position and didn’t know what to do in the situation other than hold her ground. 

Ritsu raised an eyebrow at her and digested her childish argument. He was baffled that this woman took such a passive role in teaching. He didn’t believe that children could thrive in such an environment and found it compelling that someone else would believe so wholeheartedly that a feeble teaching method like this was ideal. 

Hitomi stuttered out a few syllables and was very nearly shuddering. She was terrified. Not scared like she was when her classroom got in fights or even like when someone was injured. She was scared like that night when she woke up in the darkness of the park. When… When Agastuma-san yelled and told her she knew nothing, and to mind her own business. “J-Just like Agatsuma..” She sniffed trying to push her thoughts away. She must be really tired, or maybe it was the fear, but this guy, this stranger who suddenly approached her and yelled, he acted just like Soubi, she was even thinking they looked alike. Maybe even the way they spoke too. 

“Huh?” Ritsu’s voice cracked the silence. He glared at her harshly. Had she just said Agatsuma? What did this woman know? Agatsuma Soubi, he doubted. Soubi wouldn’t be involved with this school just because his sacrifice and the Zeros attended. At least not enough for him to be familiar with the teacher.

“Oh no!! I-” Hitomi hadn’t even realized she said something out loud. “I-”

“Tell me what you said.” Ritsu glared at her, draining away her choice. 

“I-It was just..” She figured it wouldn’t hurt to tell him after all. Maybe the subject would change and he would stop yelling, or even leave. “You just reminded me of someone.. is all..”

“Who?” Ritsu was less calm now, he was on edge. He was suspicious of outsiders, in fact he really wasn’t even used to interacting with people who weren’t involved in the council or the school. He seldom ventured out. “You said Agatsuma, didn’t you?”

This frightened Hitomi even more. This man… did he know Soubi? Were they friends? He seemed dangerous and if he knew Soubi he might very well know Ritsuka. Would he hurt the student, like he was hurting Hitomi? Was Soubi also like this man as well, dangerous? “G-Get away! Please don’t hurt people! They’re just children!”

“They?” Ritsu chuckled. “Aren’t you just a child yourself?” He flicked at her sensitive cat ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

“A-Ahh..-!” Hitomi wasn’t used to being touched there, she was taken by complete surprise. It was a terribly strange sensation that she felt throughout her body even thought it was only a slight touch.

Ritsu didn’t give her long to react, he just continued speaking. He wanted to know how this woman was associated with Soubi, she might even make a good pawn. “Soubi-kun, how do you know him?”

‘Ku-kun? That wasn’t a way to refer to an adult friend, though.. this man was much older. …What if, he was Soubi’s father..?’ Hitomi’s thought raced, trying to make heads or tails of the situation she was face with. Why was this man picking on her? Why did he know Agatsuma? And why did he think he could boss her around about her own classroom? 

“Are…Are you… related? Agatsuma-san’s father?” Hitomi guessed, completely forgetting that she had been asked a question.

“Father?!” How much of an idiot could this woman be? Asking such impudent things! “Don’t ask me something so ridiculous!” The thought disturbed Ritsu to the core. Soubi’s father was a wretched man who wronged Ritsu. Soubi was lucky that his looks took after his mother. 

Hitomi cringed as Ritsu shoved her back again. The look in his eyes made her terrified. She thought it was a look she’d never have to see, she’d never imagined something like this before, but Ritsu looked like he was going to kill her. The young teacher’s breathing grew heavier in panic. “Pu…please don’t hurt me….” she begged. 

Ritsu’s deep scowl flicked into somewhat of a smile. “Hurt you? You think I will?” His large frame stood tall and intimidating in front of her. “Do you think I’ll punish you, girl?” He wanted to hurt the woman, tease her, embarrass her. She needed to grovel on the ground, realize her incompetence and stupidity.

But he couldn’t help but think.. ‘Why? Why did she compare me to Soubi? Of course we’re alike… But he really is so much alike that one would mistake him as my son?’ What Ritsu did not know is that it was his menacing stance in large part that reminded Hitomi of Agatsuma’s presence. He was always looking down on her. ‘Of course I did raise the boy… but how dare she… how dare she call me his father.’ Ritsu felt he was much more than a father. Father was a term that did not describe nearly how important he was in the upbringing of the most powerful Fighter. 

“Sir… sir please.” Hitomi just wanted to get away, she needed to do something, anything. This man needed to be far away from the school grounds, and… Soubi too. He was also a danger. These two men were assocated they must be very bad people. Hitomi had heard of men who tricked children into thinking they were good and then ….and then– oh! The terrible things that would happen to her students!

“What? What is it? Would you like me to punish you?” Ritsu glared into her eyes. 

“Uh.. well that is…” Hitomi had a thought. Her hand inched down her side, by appearance, a nervous movement. But ever so slowly she inched her hand closer to her pocketbook. “I think that….” She slide her fingers over the silvery clasp.

“Oh what is it?” Ritsu placed his hand on her shoulder and gazed into her eyes, not noticing what she was doing. The innocence of her ears enthralled him. What fun she was to toy with. He never would have expected to encounter such a person on what he had expected to be such a boring trip. 

Hitomi silently slid her hand into her purse, keeping Ritsu’s gaze. In her mind she chanted encouragements to herself to keep strong. She was grasping for her pepper spray. She would take it out quickly and spray the man in the eyes and then run to get help. It would work, it would, it would. She just had to be strong. For her students! 

“Shinonome-sensei please report to the main office. Shinonome-sensei.” 

The sound of the loud speaker calling her name shocked Hitomi. She jumped back and her purse and pepper spray fell from her grip. Startled, Ritsu did not have time to respond to Hitomi’s strange reactions. She jumped back a few steps. Yelled, “Excuse me!” and dashed off down the hallway, leaving her things behind on the floor. 

Ritsu paused for a moment, disappointed at letting her slip away. But the moment was over, it was unlikely he would encounter her again. He would continue checking in on the Zero’s school system tomorrow. He had done enough for today. Maybe, he thought, he would even pay Soubi a visit while he was in town.


End file.
